October is Dental Hygiene Month!
October is National Dental Hygiene Month! This is a campaign dedicated to celebrating all of the hard-working dental hygienists in our communities as well as an opportunity to promote the importance of oral hygiene.
What is National Dental Hygiene Month?
National Dental Hygiene Month represents a collaboration between the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) and Colgate. It provides a designated time to raise awareness of and shine a spotlight on the hard work dental hygienists perform and to celebrate their dedication to creating healthier, happier smiles. Throughout the month of October, Colgate works with the ADHA to offer free continuing education courses, events and resources to hygienists. National Dental Hygiene Month is also an opportunity to amplify the important health messages promoted all year round, helping dental hygienists extend their reach and positive influence in their communities.
Here are a few ways that dental practices can participate or get involved in this year’s National Dental Hygiene Month:
Highlight the dental hygienists in your practice
National Dental Hygiene Month is the perfect time to highlight the work that dental hygienists have been doing in our own practices and beyond. If your hygienists are eager to be featured on your social channels, it’s a good time to spotlight them and to share fun facts about these integral members of your dental practice.
Hold a candy buyback
Halloween falls on the last day of National Dental Hygiene Month, but we can still use October to promote the concept of the candy buyback. This involves offering to “buy” any excess Halloween candy from patients by the pound in exchange for cash, coupons or other incentives. It’s an opportunity to save hundreds of little teeth from an overload of sugar! The Halloween Candy Buyback Program has partnered with charities that send candy as part of care packages to troops serving overseas – candy for a cause!
Get active in hygienist communities
If you’re not doing so already, National Dental Hygiene Month is an ideal time to get active in communities like the ADHA. This provides a place to sign up to find out about local events and meetings, where hygienists can network and build relationships with other dental hygienists in respective areas.
Follow events on social media
Throughout National Dental Hygiene Month, Colgate and the ADHA will be posting event information, sharing resources and hosting live events. Last year, when the theme was “Celebrating Resilience”, both used their channels to highlight stories of resilience in the dental hygienist community, share self-care tips and resources, and host Instagram takeovers. Follow Colgate and the ADHA on Instagram and be the first to learn about the exciting events planned for this year!
Have questions about any oral-health related concerns? Just contact us – our dedicated team of dental assistants, dental hygienists and dentists is here to help this month and every month!
